Animal Bites

How to Handle Animal Bites

For dog, cat, and ferret bites, the animal should be quarantined immediately. Persons should not begin vaccination for rabies unless the animal develops clinical signs of the disease. If the animal is suspected of rabies or is an unknown animal, vaccines should be administered at once.

Raccoons, skunks, foxes, bats, and other wild animals should be regarded as rabid unless the animal is proven negative by testing. A person who has sustained a bite from one of these animals should consider immediate medical attention.

For bites from livestock, horses, rodents, hares, and other mammals, it is advised to consider the bite individually. Consult public health officials for more advice.